A joint team of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines raided the 10-hectare Zun Yuan Technology complex in Bamban, Tarlac, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hub allegedly used for illegal activities by scammers1. The compound sits beside the Bamban Municipal Hall1.
Beyond offices and dormitories, the site held villas reportedly reserved for high ranking officials and VIPs, an olympic-sized swimming pool, expensive furniture and appliances, safety vaults in several rooms, and parked SUVs and luxury cars1. A network of tunnels ran underneath the villas; authorities said the tunnels led outside the compound1. PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said the underground passageways might have been used by other suspects to escape1.
"Posible kasi na yung mga nakatakas ay dumaan po sa underground tunnels. Mayroon kasing open na mga gates doon sa ibang tunnels pwedeng doon sila nagtakasan."
The raid followed allegations of scams, human trafficking and illegal detention1. The compound had also been raided in February 2024 over allegations of a cryptocurrency scam, when it was licensed under Hongsheng Gaming Technology1. Casio said Bamban town officials should have been more vigilant when they allowed the establishment of the amusement and gaming hub in 2020, and that all POGO and internet gaming license operators need a Letter of No Objection from the city council1. The Department of Justice is also investigating the case1. Nearly 300 foreigners arrested inside the hub were brought to Pasay City over the weekend, and heavily armed police were guarding the compound while the search and investigation continued1.
The raid drew wider scrutiny. On March 25, 2024, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government to investigate a local government official in Tarlac over possible links to the raided hub, citing a Sangguniang Bayan Resolution indicating that Bamban mayor Alice Guo had supposedly applied for the license to operate Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc.2. Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated operated inside the Baofu compound behind the Bamban municipal hall2. Guo denied involvement in the POGO operations and the alleged illegal activities of Zun Yuan Technology, which included human trafficking and illegal detention2. Authorities later filed a complaint against Guo and others for alleged human trafficking in connection with the raided hub2.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| February 2024 | Compound raided over cryptocurrency scam allegations, licensed as Hongsheng Gaming Technology1 |
| March 2024 | Joint PAOCC, PNP and AFP raid on Zun Yuan Technology complex1 |
| March 25, 2024 | Senator Gatchalian urges DILG to investigate a Tarlac local official over possible links to the hub2 |
| April 5, 2024 | DILG creates a task force to look into Guo's alleged link to the POGO's illegal activities2 |
| June 21, 2024 | Human trafficking complaint filed against Guo and others over the raided hub2 |
What it means for players
The case concerns an offshore gaming hub licensed in the Philippines, not a venue open to walk-in bettors, so it does not change the rules for ordinary casino or online players in the country. What it shows is that some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator sites have been linked by authorities to scams, human trafficking and illegal detention, and that raids can lead to arrests of foreign workers found inside. Anyone dealing with an online operator that claims a Philippine license has no way to confirm from this case alone whether that license is genuine or current. For background on licensed gambling in the country, see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?. For how scam compounds and fake sites operate across the region, and how to report them, see Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia.
What happens next
The Department of Justice investigation into the case was ongoing at the time of the March report1. The DILG task force, the graft charges filed against Guo in May 2024, the Ombudsman's six-month preventive suspension of Guo and two other local officials in June 2024, and the Senate arrest order issued on July 13, 2024 against Guo and several others were all reported as of July 20242. No outcome of those proceedings has been reported in these accounts.
